Multi-station document inserting systems generally include a plurality of various stations that are configured for specific applications. Typically, such inserting systems, also known as console inserting machines, are manufactured to perform operations customized for a particular customer. Such machines are known in the art and are generally used by organizations, which produce a large volume of mailings where the content of each mail piece may vary.
For instance, inserter systems are used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mailings where the contents of each mail item are directed to a particular addressee. Additionally, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use inserts for producing a large volume of generic mailings where the contents of each mail item are substantially identical for each addressee. Examples of such inserter systems are the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes, Inc. of Stamford, Conn.
In many respects the typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (other sheets, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Then, a plurality of different modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mailpiece is produced. The exact configuration of each inserter system depends upon the needs of each particular customer or installation.
For example, a typical inserter system includes a plurality of serially arranged stations including at least one postage meter, an envelope feeder, a plurality of insert feeder stations and a burster-folder station. There is a computer generated form or web feeder that feeds continuous form control documents having control coded marks printed thereon to a cutter or burster station for individually separating documents from the web. A control scanner is typically located in the cutting or bursting station for sensing the control marks on the control documents. According to the control marks, these individual documents are accumulated in an accumulating station and then folded in a folding station. Thereafter, the serially arranged insert feeder stations sequentially feed the necessary documents onto a transport deck at each insert station as the control document arrives at the respective station to form a precisely collated stack of documents which is transported to the envelope feeder-insert station where the stack is inserted into the envelope. The finished envelope is then conveyed to a postage station having a postage meter for affixing the appropriate postage to the envelope. A typical modern inserter system also includes a control system to synchronize the operation of the overall inserter system to ensure that the collations are properly assembled.
Typically, an inserter operator employs one or more inserter systems in a common environment (a “shop”). A current trend is to employ an operations management system (OMS) in each shop that is central and connected to each inserter system. More particularly, the OMS connects to the control system of each inserter system so as to monitor the operation of each inserter as well as to control its operation thereof. A system such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,119, titled Method and System for Selectively Interacting with a Postage Meter Provided on an Inserter System, may be used to communicate between a plurality of inserter machines each having its own postage meter.
Facilities which use postage meters to apply postage to outgoing mail frequently need to track the amount of postage spent on different mailings. Typically, the postage spent per mailing is charged back to the company or department that created the documents that make up the mail.
In order to obtain the information necessary to do this, a postage accounting system must keep track of the postage spent and relate this to the contents of the envelopes. Postage spent can be obtained from many types of postage meters, which allow automated equipment to read the amount of money in the meter before & after mail is processed. Many kinds of mail processing equipment, such as inserters, can provide information about the contents of the envelopes and the account that should be charged for each mailpiece. A postage accounting system must reconcile the mailpiece information provided by mail processing equipment to the postage charges provided by the meters.
There are many situations, including off-line use of the meter, data loss on the mail processing equipment, etc., that can cause postage and piececount information provided by the mail processing equipment and the meters to disagree with each other. Previously, the two sources of information needed to be reconciled by painstaking manual examination of transaction data, followed by manual entry of corrections. This process is often referred to as “meter balancing”.